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Odessa has fallen. The Fenrir Team must retreat, but first they must aid their allies.
Chapter 7
Dobday Rescue
November 10th UC 0079, 1900
Zeon field command center
Odessa, former Ukraine
Less than 12 hours after the Fenrir Team had been redeployed to K-7 Point, the Federation Army overran the Dobday's position. By nightfall on the 10th, the Zeon forces were in full retreat. Col. M'Quve had launched a nuclear warhead in the late afternoon to stall the Federation long enough for him to escape on his Zanzibar-class cruiser. The Gundam had destroyed the warhead before it could detonate. The Black Tri-Stars had also died at the hands of the White Devil. Gen. Yuri Kellarny, the commander of a number of forces in Eastern Europe, issued the order for all units operating in Odessa to retreat on their own; no reinforcements would be sent.
At the Fenrir command post, the staff were busy preparing to retreat. All necessary equipment and personnel were being loaded onto trucks, tanks, and other vehicles. All nonessential equipment was sabotaged. Just as they were preparing to shut down the communication system, a message came in: "Attention all Zeon forces, this is the Dobday land battleship. We have taken severe damage and lost most of our mobile suits. We are surrounded, please reinforce us!"
Schimtzer immediately called the pilots together, "Everyone, although we have been ordered to retreat, there is one more thing that needs to be done. The Dobday has taken severe damage and is immobile. I would guess that its caterpillar tread is damaged. They have lost most of their escort and are surrounded. We will reinforce them and open up a retreat route. Renchef, Roberto, Austin: you three will aid the Dobday team. The rest of us will retreat. After you are done, rendezvous with the Jukon submarines here," he said indicating a location on the map. "The rest of us will meet you here," he indicated another location, "since we can only take a few suits on the submarine, it is my decision that Renchef, Austin, and Manning will keep their suits. The rest of you will receive new suits when we reach California. One more thing, the radio will need to be shut down soon. Therefore, we will be out of communication until we reach the withdrawal point. That is all."
The nine pilots immediately moved out in search of the Dobday. It had moved to the end of the shallow canyons the Fenrir had moved through just the day before. The three teams moved in from the rear. The Dobday was facing a full frontal attack by both mobile suits and vehicles. A Guncannon type suit appeared to be leading the assault. Austin and Roberto took aim with their 280mm Bazookas and began firing at the massed Federal forces. Renchef stowed his own shotgun on his suit's waist armor and drew the heat saber from inside his shield. His team charged the federal lines. As Roberto and Austin picked off mobiles suits and vehicles near the Dobday, Renchef assaulted the rear. He grabbed the Guncannon and forced his saber through the rear of the suit. He and his wingmen began carving their way through the Federal forces. After they had taken care of the frontal assault, Austin took stock of the situation.
"Okay. Dobday team consists of 2 Zaku I's. Guns and treads are inoperable. I'm reading heat signatures straight ahead and on our right and left. Renchef, you take the units behind the Dobday. I will take those on the left. After we are done, Roberto, you and I will take out the force on the right okay?"
"Roger."
"Renchef copies. Going to do a little damage."
"Dobday, this is Sergeant Major Austin of the Midnight Fenrir, do you read me?"
"We read you Sergeant Major"
"Good. My teams will take out the enemy threatening our position and we will withdraw to the south. We have Jukon subs that will take us to California."
"Understood. We will begin loading our trucks."
With this confirmation, Austin moved toward the heat signatures on the left.
"I see four, no, five feddie mobile suits. Looks like they have a tank squad and a few missile trucks to." He announced as he looked at the enemy through his scope.
"Lopez, Johnson, go to that ramp on the side of the hill and cut them off. I will advance over that ramp there and try to force them your way."
"Got it"
As his teammates moved into position, Austin prepared a cracker grenade. He threw it at the assembled mobile suits. The fools appeared to have their sensors set to idle. The cracker took out two of the mobile suits. The tanks and trucks fled immediately, right into a barrage from Lopez and Johnson. The three remaining mobile suits would not be taken so easily, however. They came online as the three Zaku I's moved in. Austin brought one down as he tried to raise his weapon. One of the others forced Austin's wing mates to take cover as he sprayed at them with 100mm shells. The third, which had squad leader markings, advanced toward Austin as he reloaded his bazooka. It reached down to a hatch on its lower right leg. Before he could finish, he had to drop the weapon and hit the deck as the mobile suit rushed towards him with something alight in its hand. As it turned to where Austin was on the ground, he could clearly see the pink laser sword in its hand. He had read of such weapons in intel regarding the Trojan Horse, but he had never seen one up close before. He knew that his old model heat hawk did not have the necessary anti-beam coating to duel with the saber. As he stood his mobile suit up, he came up with a new plan. He ignited his jump jets and charged at the mobile suit using his shoulder cap. The enemy pilot brought his shield up to block. Before he could also bring his beam saber around into Austin's back, Matt was able to shove his fist through the sensor plate in the Federal suit's head. He shoved the suit away as its head exploded in a shower of flame as the cracker grenade he had put through the sensor plate exploded. The cockpit hatch blew off as the pilot ejected.
Austin turned to see Lopez wrestling his heat hawk through the cockpit hatch of the remaining unit. Johnson had been killed by the machine gun fire.
Behind the Dobday, Renchef's unit was getting through dealing with the mobile suits there. They also had beam sabers, but the heat sabers carried by Renchef's Goufs were coated with a special anti-beam material that prevented beam sabers from cutting through them. His radio began buzzing, "Renchef, state your status."
"We're all good here Matt. These Feddies never knew what hit them."
"Get back over here quick. We still need to deal with the final unit and Roberto and I are both down a man."
"On it."
The Goufs hurried back to the Dobday and joined up with the other two teams.
The only way to assault the hill where the remaining mobile suits were stationed was up a ramp right in front of the them. Worse yet, the Federal troops had detected them and had commenced firing, knocking out Roberto's remaining wing mate. Austin and Roberto's teams tried sending bazookas shells at the mobile suit. There were at least three Guncannons with the enemy. As the 240mm shells drove the Zeons behind a rock formation, the Federation forces began to advance. As Roberto stood to fire, a shell took out his left leg. Lopez lost his head to a machine gun round.
In a last effort to overcome the enemy, the Zeon's threw smoke grenades in their direction. With Austin and Renchef's wing mates providing cover, Renchef advanced alone. In the smoke, he began to dismantle the six mobile suits. He tore the heads off the standard suits before they could detect him. He managed behead one Guncannon with his saber before one of the remaining ones grabbed him from behind. The last Guncannon turned to face them as the smokescreen cleared and aimed its 240mm cannons at his cockpit. Renchef angled his rocket thrusters straight back and fired them. The Federal pilot ejected in shock as the flames began to burn through his cockpit wall. The jets propelled Renchef at the remaining Guncannon. He brought his saber up over his head and slammed it down onto the mobile suit's head. He worked the saber through the suit until he had sliced it rather messily in half.
"Austin, you still alive over there?" he asked as he surveyed the battlefield.
"I'm here lieutenant. Dobday, are you ready for retreat?"
"Yes Sergeant Major. Our trucks are pulling out now."
"Very well. We have some pilots in need of pickup over here."
"On our way."
After they had recovered Lopez, Roberto, and one of Roberto's wingmen who was not seriously injured, they set off to the south towards the rendezvous with the Jukon submarines.
